FPrime only rendering 1020 x 1020

[awrieger]

Very frustrating!

I'm trying to do a 3000 square print image and I know from Worley's FAQ section that FPrime is *supposed* to be easily able to do mega-pixel renders (ie 10,000 x 3,000), but it's just not happening for me.

It renders at proper size but simply crops to a 1020 square at 'full size'. Anything outside the 1020 pixels is lost. Any ideas as to why this would be happening? Is there some simple setting I've missed? I'm using a 2 x 1.25 Mac G4, 2Gb RAM.

PS: I have searched for this problem and read this thread (http://www.newtek.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38076&highlight=fprime+size) re the preview window versus render, but in my FPrime render panel the 'render now' button is never highlighted and unclickable and I don't know why. I'm sure I'm missing something really simple to make this work!

[BeeVee]

You need to read the manual, there is something about low memory renders. Also, you need to use the renderer not the previewer.

B

[awrieger]

Thanks BeeVee.

I just discovered the 'render now' button doesn't highlight unless a filename is pre-saved. Having always just saved smaller renders from the preview window up until now and naming the files on the fly, that never occured to me. So it's a big 'd'oh!' from me!

So I think it should work now hopefully. I knew it was something simple!

[mav3rick]

heh i was rendering 8000 8000 some days ago.
wanna know how?
read manuals

[awrieger]

Yep, I perused it several times. The whole one page of it. It's just that not being an animator, when I see stuff like 'sequential frame numbers' or any animation instructions not pertinent to what I need (which is what sequential file-name saving is), I skip past it to look for what I actually need to know:

FPrime requires you to choose a destination filename. Frame numbers will be automatically added to this filename, though FPrime is smart and detects and reuses existing 4 digit numbers. This is useful since you can pick a previously rendered file to reuse the filename. FPrime Render renders a range of frames. To render a single frame, use the same frame number as both start and end frame. If you are rendering a sequence of frames, you can specify a "step" to skip frames. A negative skip will render the frames in reverse order. etc etc..

So even though it says right at the beginning of the paragraph that I need to save pre-save a filename, I just automatically assumed this whole section was for sequential frame saving for animations. Which is something I definitely 100% don't need, ever, so I skipped onto the next paragragh and missed those key 16 words buried in the middle of it. I mean, why on earth would I need to pre-save a file sequence name for only one image??

I guess it's just the way LW's set up primarily as an animation package instead of print. You know how the camera default sizes are all PAL, NTSC etc? There's no 'A4 x 300dpi' setting. Same deal with FPrime I suppose being primarily for animation. I must keep reminding myself that as an illustrator, I don't actually render illustrations or even images, but 'frames'. Or more precisely, a single 'frame'. Or most precise of all, 'frame 0 to 0'.

[BeeVee]

You can add those presets to the camera presets yourself. Make sure LightWave isn't running and edit the LW8.cfg file where you see these lines:

ResolutionPreset 1920 1080 1 0 0 1920 1080 HDTV (1920 x 1080)

The numbers refer to the X size, the Y size, the pixel aspect ratio, the next four are the coordinates for the start and end of the image, then you have the name. To add an A4 page at 300dpi, you can simply copy and paste this after that HDTV entry:

ResolutionPreset 2480 3508 1 0 0 2480 3508 A4 page (300dpi)

B

[awrieger]

So I can change all those video sizes to all my own print size presets? Thanks, Ben! A most helpful excellent tip! :thumbsup:

[BeeVee]

Why change them? You can add to them, then you don't lose anything... ;)

B

[Qexit]

Yep, I perused it several times. The whole one page of it.

Actually, there is more than one page ... you also need to read through the 'Update and Change History' and the FAQs otherwise you could easily miss something important. One of the problems with FPrime is that its basic operation is so simple you don't really need a manual, so it easy to just skip through the text and miss things :)

http://www.worley.com/FPrime_support.html

If you are doing single frame renders only, then the 'Art of Noise' article should make for interesting/useful reading too.:thumbsup: